Jobs axed as council sports shake-up saves £84k
Job roles will be axed as part of a restructure of departments at Sandwell Council in a bid to save £84,000 in the wake of the creation of new leisure centres.
Sandwell Council today said seven job roles will be scrapped as part of planned changes in the PE and Sports department.
But bosses said that there would be no redundancies as part of the move and claimed other posts would be created in the new structure.
These new job roles have not been made public by Sandwell Council.
But should the proposal be approved the changes would come into force by May 30.
Officials say the the newly restructured team will be integrated with Parks and Green Spaces department to help 'maximise the investment in facilities, increasing the take up in physical activity and sport'.
The team has been behind plans to develop new leisure centres in Oldbury, Tipton and West Bromwich at a cost of £38.5 million.
Councillor Darren Cooper, leader of the council, said the reorganisation of the service would bring about a saving of £84,000.
He said: "In the re-organisation seven posts from the previous structure will be lost, but five new ones are being created and two empty posts are not being filled.
"This means that due to vacancies in the old structure there will be no redundancies as a result of the new structure.
"These are not frontline posts and we have looked at new ways of managing contracts and projects which has allowed us to reduce the number of posts.
"These are the latest reductions in expenditure brought about by the Government cuts on council spending."
A report considered by the council's director of neighbourhoods, Adrian Scarrott, who will oversee the changes, said: "Going forward, the team will be leading on the delivering of a sustainable Sport and Leisure model in a very different financial climate.
The report added: "The new restructured team will need to develop a range of internal and external partnerships to deliver on its objectives and work in a flexible manner, in a period of reducing budgets."
Building work is progressing on a fourth new leisure centre in Wednesbury. The £7m centre is due to open later this year.
The new complex in Wednesbury will have a 25-metre pool, a learner pool, two dance studios and a 100-station fitness suite and also includes a new sports hall.
The digging for the main pool and learner pool has been completed and work has now started on the concrete shell to hold the water for the pools.
